CEAT Kelani inspires top dealers with “Autobahn” convention and awards gala

CEAT-Kelani’s top 10 dealers with the Chairman, Executive Director and representatives of the company’s senior management 

• Hosts top 125 dealers and their families at two-day event at Cinnamon Grand and Port City

Sri Lanka’s leading tyre brand CEAT pulled out all the stops to felicitate and recognise top dealers at a two-day convention and awards gala at the Cinnamon Grand and the Port City recently, blending glitz and fun with an illuminating technical session.

Themed “Autobahn” to reference the German engineering, research and development expertise that underpin the brand, the event revolved around CEAT Research & Development Centre in Frankfurt, Germany General Manager – Global Outdoor Testing Sven Rath who was present in person.

Delivering the welcome address at the awards dinner, CEAT Kelani Holdings Chairman Chanaka De Silva said that collectively, the 125 top dealers felicitated represent the heartbeat of the company and are a vital part of its success. 

Pointing out that CEAT Kelani had achieved several significant milestones despite the challenges in the market, De Silva said the company had continued to grow, innovate and serve customers better than ever before, retained its status as the most-loved tyre brand in the country, and received an AA+ rating from Fitch for the fourth consecutive year in 2024.

CEAT’s top 10 dealers countrywide received handsome awards for their contributions to the company’s performance, while the top 45 dealers received awards of excellence, and the top performers in each of tyre categories manufactured by the company were recognised separately at the dealer convention. A noteworthy feature was the presence of representatives of two of CEAT’s top customers in two key export markets – Singapore and Egypt.

Top dealers honoured at the event received cash awards, gift vouchers, trophies and certificates in recognition of their performances in each of the product categories that CEAT manufactures, as well for overall excellence. 

CEAT’s Top 10 dealers for 2024 in descending order were U&H Wheels of Colombo 2, Sandeew Auto Enterprises of Colombo 14, Sripali Tyre House of Anuradhapura, Viran Tyre Service of Marawila, New Lakmini Tyre House of Kurunegala, Sumith Marketing of Ambalangoda, Abdeen Tyre Service of Akkaraipattu, Metro Auto Mart of Moratuwa, Asanka Motor Stores & Tyre House of Madampe, and Nanda Tyre House, Vavuniya.

The first day of the dealer convention began with a technical session at which dealers were provided an insight into the technological facilities and expertise available at the company’s R&D facility in Germany, and the testing that products undergo at the test tracks in Germany. The second day was spent at the Colombo Port City and included a beach fiesta with water sports for the dealers and their family members.

The largest domestic manufacturer of cross-ply and radial tyres in Sri Lanka, CEAT’s emergence as the top brand in the country’s tyre sector is the result of substantial investments over several years that have seen not just exponential increases in volumes but expansion of the product range, the deployment of new technology and quantum improvements in quality. The company’s manufacturing operations encompass pneumatic tyres in the radial (passenger cars, vans and SUVs), commercial (Bias-ply and radial), motorcycle, three-wheeler and agricultural vehicle segments.

CEAT Kelani Holdings currently manufactures half of Sri Lanka’s pneumatic tyre requirements, and exports about 20% of its production to 16 countries. The joint venture’s cumulative investment in Sri Lanka over the past decade alone exceeds Rs. 8.5 billion.